LONG BEACH - Like universities across the state, Cal State Long Beach has seen its share of budget cuts.

But despite tough fiscal times, Long Beach still remains a high-demand campus and one of the best deals in higher education, said Cal State Long Beach President F. King Alexander.

And that's thanks largely to Cal State University Chancellor Charles B. Reed, Alexander added. Reed will be retiring this week after nearly 15 years as head of the CSU system.

Alexander, who has served as president since 2006, said he and Reed have enjoyed a close working relationship over the years since they both live in Long Beach.

"Charlie has worked tirelessly to expand the reputation of the CSU, and I wish the people and students in California knew the national and international respect the CSU has today thanks to his leadership," Alexander said. "Here in Long Beach, our attractiveness to students has never been higher."

Alexander said CSULB continuously receives record numbers of applications from first-time students, making the university a top choice in California second only to UCLA. The university is anticipating a record 80,000 applications from freshman and transfer students for fall 2013.

Despite recent tuition hikes, CSULB is still regularly listed as one of the nation's "Best Value" public universities by The Princeton Review.

"We're rated as one of the best values in the country, and we're also the best system in keeping students out of debt," he said. "We're a role model on what universities should be doing."

Alexander said the CSU, at Reed's direction, regularly posts information on its website about average student debt after graduation, tuition rates, projected salaries for graduates and more.

"A lot of colleges don't want people to know about their student debt, but we want to put that information out there for the public good," Alexander said. "Colleges are now just starting to catch on and post this information for the public, and here we've been doing this for the last five years. Thanks to Charlie, the CSU has been on the forefront of many changes."